Girl in Red

Hi!! A new blog with a darker shade of red splashed all over, just because, I dont have the patience to dig up my gray cells holding those passwords and usernames. Those puzzled by what I am talking of , please take a glance at www.tinaanne.blogspot.com for a better picture.

So, all said and reasoned out about why I have shifted to a new blog, let me assure or rather warn, that red still dominates my life, and of course, my blog.

The other day, browsing through a magazine, a picture caught my eye and made my glance stay. Of course, not to mention, there was a deep crimson shade involved, but that alone was not the reason for my attention to stay put. There was something oddly out of place, an inspiring, unconventional feel to the picture. A young girl, dressed in bright red western outfit in a confidence exuding posture, looked out from the frame, surrounded by four definitely official-looking men booted and tuxedoed. The lovely face and the power dressing smacked of an apparel ad, but strangely, this one picture was real, one that described her as the head of a newly set up finanacial venture in India. A refreshing femininity amid the cliched male faces that populate the pages of a hard-core business magazine.

Intrigued, I read further and the few lines that pertained to her significance revealed her name. One with a distinct Keralite flavour. Hailing from this southern most state of India, I was puzzled. It's not every day, you get to see girls from my home state in such ground-breaking features.

Research ensued the next day, and my guess proved right, she was indeed a Keralite, but all amazement vanished, when she turned out to be a second-generation Indian American, whose parents had migrated to the land of dreams decades ago. Born and brought up in the land of liberation, she was blissfully ignorant of the bonds that would have been imposed on her, had her parents chosen the "safer" option of bringing her up in her native place. Safer in terms of culture, freedom, and morality. Safety and convention that dictates the age a girl should be safely bonded in marriage, of course, for her own good. Safety that frowns upon girls retuning home from work after evening hours. Safety that restrains a girl from seeking greener pastures in her career after she has crossed the achievement threshold (read a job) , again dictated by society.

I could not help wondering what would have been scenario if this enterprising young girl had indeed grown up in local environs, instead of passing through international economic schools.
Probably, armed with a engineering degree (approved definitely by society), she would have been clad in the power dress of india , the sari and displayed a marriage ring or a sintoor on her forehead to pacify the orthodox mindsets. Or maybe, the picture would have been the same, provided she had commendable guts to stray from mindless obedience.

Whatever may have been, I admire the numerous brave women in our country, who struggle day and night against the ropes that tie their arms and shatter the glass ceilings, stonger than wrought iron and still make their way to the top, whether clad in saris or frocks. They deserve respect and a standing round of applause . And as for the girl in red, lets wish her all the best as she embarks on a new journey in an as yet unencountered terrain, India.